A few weeks ago I got invited to dinner at Tandoori Flame in honour of the Halal festival that was happening that weekend, I visited the Mississauga location (they also have another location in Brampton). Tandoori Flame is North America's largest Indian buffet, as the serve up 150 different varieties of food. As we walked into the incredibly large and beautifully decorated restaurant we were greeted by the host, the warmth of the spices and savory smells full up your nose and your mouth immediately starts salivating.
We get a quick tour around the buffet before getting seated, the general mangers shows us around to the 4-5 different rooms the have at the restaurant. Each room capable of seating 100+ guests, perfect for special occasions.

Tandoori Flame serves only halal-certified food, everything is made in house with fresh ingredients.
Salad Bar which includes some Indian salad but also pasta salad, regular leafy salads and corn salads for the less adventurous types.
They have all whole section for just their curries, I believe there was around 14 different types which include non-vegetarian and vegetarian options. Butter chicken, Goat curry, Chicken Biryani, Daal, and several types of Paneer.

The amount of food and variety at Tandoori Flame is incredible, I've never had such a hard time deciding what I wanted to eat next. Even though the selection is so great my favourites were the butter chicken, nann (they have 3-4 different varieties!), vegetable pakoras, Palak paneer, a lamb curry and the desserts. My only complaint was that the fried items were a little cold, probably because I did go on a Tuesday night and it wasn't that busy but the flavours were still good.

3.28.2015

I cannot speak highly enough about Copa by Sea, I've never been so impressed with the quantity and quality of food and service at a buffet. The concept of the buffet is the same as their upstairs restaurant, Copacabana Brazilian Steak House. There's open concept kitchen that lets you see and smell what the chefs are grilling.
There was an endless amount of crab legs, smoked salmon and shrimp cocktail near the bar area but wait, save room for everything else!

12.08.2014

Han Ba Tang is one of the new restaurants in the Yonge and Sheppard area, they opened up this past May serving up Korean fusion tapas. "Han Ba Tang" means "one full round", weather it's one full round of laughter, food or drinks.
The interior of the space has quite the industrial feel with the bare exposed bricks, scrap metal wall and reclaimed wood pieces. The mismatched chairs and lighting give the space somewhat of a warm, cozy atmosphere.My favourite part was the giant custom Han Ba Tang sign right as you walk in.

12.05.2014

Duo Patisserie & Cafe is probably the best new shop to open up in Markham, a great French patisserie. Duo opened up this past October and it hasn't had a lot of media coverage yet, their website is still under construction. The cafe is located on Highway 7 and Leslie Street, super convenient for all us uptown kids.
The interior is super clean and modern, the walls and furniture in all white. You can even look into their kitchen to see their production. The duo behind Duo are Rocky and Eric, two best friends. Eric makes the pastries and Rocky is front of house manning the coffee bar.

Their selection of
croissants that day were plain, ham & cheese, honey twist, pain au chcolat and almond, the prices range from $2.50 - $3.50.

12.01.2014

The newest restaurant addition to the Distillery District, Cluny is a French inspired bistro. The interior of the space is gorgeous, a modern Parisian style with patterned floors, loads of textures everywhere and wood accents throughout. It's clear that Cluny did not spare any expense, I could stay there all day just looking at all the details in the restaurant.
Cluny has an in house bakery that has freshly baked breads, pastries and beautiful plated desserts.
We started off with the complimentary bread basket with homemade jam and butter. During brunch Cluny has a enormous bread & breakfast pastry table in the middle of the restaurant where you or your server can pick out what you want to try.

The first time I was here for lunch I regretted not getting the The Cluny French Onion Soup, French comte, sherry, rich beef broth ($15.00), so I had to get it this time even though it was 11am. The soup did not disappoint and it was everything I was hoping for and more. Piping hot soup with ooey-gooey cheese dripping down the sides of the mini pot. Everything about the soup was perfect.

"Bacon" & Eggs, Rosemary roasted pork belly, two - 1 hour eggs, brioche toast & tomato jam ($16.00). The eggs were soft and creamy and how can you have soft egg yolks without toast? The pork belly was on the dry side but the skin was ultra crispy. Crab Cake Benedict,
Two crab cakes, summer greens, & two poached eggs, Provençal tomato
($16.00). This was the favourite dish of the day, how could you not? Crab cakes anything is good in my book. I was totally stuffed after just eating half, I took the rest home, reheated it in the microwave and it was still so good. The fries were even good, thin cut, crispy and lightly seasoned with salt and pepper. Poached Eggs Florentine,
Hollandaise, creamed spinach, Provençal tomato
($14.00). This dish was a little lack luster, paying $14 for some spinach, eggs and fries seems a little pricy for the dish.

What keeps me bring back to Cluny are the fresh breads, pastries and fantastic decor & atmosphere.